Brake structure



Feb. 26, 1935.

W D. SA

BRAKE STRUCTURE Original Filed Oct. 15, 1928 g fmig 4 //7 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 26, 1935 BRAKE STRUCTURE William D. Sargent, New York, N. Y., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Durafer Del., a corporation of Delaware (Ina) Dover,

Original application October 15, 1928, Serial No. 312,566. Divided and this application August 22, 1931, SerialNo. 558,678

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 312,566 filed October 15, 1928, now Patent No. 1,820,711 issued Aug. 25, 1931. This invention relates to vehicle wheels of the type in 5 which there is employed a brake flange. In the usual of construction the brake flange is. made integral with a supporting web, the twotogether constituting a brake drum, and the web is detachably'secured to the body of the wheel. In my invention the brake flange is made separate and attached to the body of the wheel or other supporting parts.

The brake flange should be of dense, granular structure and'of absolute uniformity as to material. It should offer high resistance to abrasion, resistance to expansion under the radial forces exerted by the shoes, and resistance to change of structure or physicalcharacteristics under the influence of heat. It should also have great rigidity.

Brake drums have heretofore been made with a flange and a supporting web in one piece from either hard or soft rolled forged or pressed steel, from cast steel and from gun iron. None of these materials satisfactorily fill the requirements of a brake flange. Soft rolled steel is fibrous rather than granular, abrades easily, is subject to changes in structure by. heating and rapid cooling, that is it acquires temper or hard- 30 ening in spots, and it does not have suflicient rigidity. Hard rolled steel is more satisfactory but is fibrous rather than granular and may or may not be dense depending upon treatment during manufacture. Because of its lack of granular structure it does not have the desired rigidity. In kinga brake flange of cast steel it is practically impossible to get the same uniformity of structure because of the diflerent rates of cooling at diflerent' parts of the casting, and the grain is not as dense as that of iron. Gun iron is not of absolute uniformity, does not ofier sufficient resistance to expansion, and its structure is changed under the influence of heat.

In carrying out my invention I make the brake flange separate from the supporting web or other supporting part. For the supporting part I employ a malleable metal and for the brake flange a material which is strong, dense, and more resistant to abrasion than the supporting t) part and substantially non-malleable. The

brake flange is preferably a resistant, granular,

cast iron and the best material I know of is pearlite iron which includes both a substantially pearlitic matrix and a uniform distribuiii tion and size of graphite and grain size.- Tests of such material show a tensile strength of 41,000 pounds per square inch, transverse strength of 74,000 pounds per square inch, and deflection of 0.416 inches between 24 inch supports. This material offers very great resistance to wear, one reason being that the carbon content is much higher than that of steel and the pearlitic structure is much more resistant than the y, pearlitic and ferric structure of steel.

Although certain properties of this material have heretofore been known, the advantages of a brake flange made of this material and separate from the supporting web have not been appreciated or suggested.

My improved brake flange requires no machining or finishing operations other than-the grinding of the surface or surfaces which engage the brake mechanism. It may be made in a small number of standard sizes which maybe used in making up a very large number of kinds, sizes and types of wheels.

As one important feature, my improved brake flange is made with a surface so designedthat malleable portions of the supporting structure may be bent or forced into interlocking engagement therewith to permanently and rigidly connect it to a web, the bodyof the wheel structure, or other supporting part.

As a further important feature I permanently attach the brake flange to the supporting portion of the wheel by forcing malleable portions of the latter into engagement with the brake flange during the manufacture of the wheel so that absolute centering and alignment of the brake flange is secured, and the brake flange positively locked against radial, axial or circumferential movement.

The portion of the wheel which supports brake flange y be of sheet steel, cast steel, or cast malleable iron, and is provided with lugs for engaging the brake flange, whereby during the assembly the lugs are so bent that they have a claw-like grip on the brake flange and thus permanently connect the parts.

So far as concerns this feature of my invention the brake flange supporting web may be the the a body of the wheel, or an adapter or flange bolted, welded or otherwise securedto the body of the wheel or to the hub.

By means of my invention, the brake flange is not only permanently, accurately and rigidly secured in place, but this is done by a die operation without the necessity for bolts, rivets or other separate connecting members which are liable to or sh and which do not insure ill absolute concentriciw oi the wheel bra-lie times.

in the accompanying crowing l have illustiuteo. oueerubooiinent of my invention oltl'iougll it will be apparent tlietvorious changes be mecle in'tbe cietu-ils of construction the scope the appended claims and. Without iiepeiting from the spirit oi my invention.

In this Figure l is a. face view of the blunt; for forming the body of the wheel, as it is die cost or sit-er certain stumping operations on u flut sheet.

Figure 2 is o perspective view the bruise flange.

3 is an edge view of the bis-lie flange in place, but beiore beiu Figure l is o. sectional deteil oi the in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a, view similar to u Figure 3, but on e larger scale.

Figure 6 is a. View similar to .ire showthe flange secured in place.

*i is e, vievv similei to 5 flange attached and the spokes completed; and

Figuie c isu sectional detail on line o e of l.

in the construction illustrated the body of the wheel is formed of a. single piece oi malleable metal winch may be cost in. or bent to the desired loom. Tine partially completes bionic es in Figure 1 includes on enter portion ill which may be of any desired "form. It is shown fist and promldeu with upertures, whereby it may be bolted or iivetetl to wheel nub, although within the broad scope of my in venticn this center portion moy be or cost to form the body of the hub itself.

At the periphery the blonls is located. with te cesses or slots so us to provide lugs, flanges or extensions 13 on the web portions l2, and leterel lugs or extensions 1% at opposite sides of eecli spoke ll. Tile distance of the inner ends of the lugs 13 from the center of tiie'ul'ieel may be varied depenoing upon the diameter of the broke flange which is employed, and length and shops oi these lugs cosy be vetted depending upon time specific design of the bruise The brolre fionge 15 as shown in i is o granular iron owing which pi'ele- 4.. ly includes a, substantially peerlitic motels curl e uniform distribution one size of graphite one. oi grain sizes. The casting is in. the iozun of on cumulus Wit means along one edge tbereoi ioi inmi locking engagement with the lugs lit. it mey, if desired, have a. bend or reinforcing it along one edge tbereoi. For an interuo ly tvorlnng broke this beau is preferably upon the outer pe ripbery of tbe bruise flange, vvbeeees for on em ternelly working broke it might be upon the inner surface. The means on the breeze iienge for said interlocking engagement oi the molleoble supporting and retaining ports, preferably on time been 16 or are in the form of spaced tecesses or projections along the length thereof. Preferably there are recesses 17 and ridges or projections 18 at each side of each iecess.

lice lugs 13 are preferably tepereol as shown in Figure 1, our} the recesses l? ore comesponu= ingly tapered, that is they ere Wider et time cu tteme edge of the broke flange end become our the ed.

incest-lo I'OWGl st the opposite side of the' bead. 0 they ore convexly curved in c direction tronsverse to the brake flange and concuve in o di== rectiou circumferentiolly oi the brake flange.

When the blank has been formed as shown in Figure 1 it is secured to a. mandrel by bolting or otherwise engaging the holes 19 in the center portion is, and the brake flange is supported on the some mandrel or on another and concentric one in the position shown in Figure 3. Then by means oi suitable dies the several fienges or lugs 13 are caused. to conform exactly to their respective recesses. Each lug is thus cropped erounol e. convex projecting port of the bruise flange and is made substantially concave along the melee portion of its length so it will seat against the ridges or projections 18. This curvoi the lugs in two directions greatly strengthens oncl stifiens tbelugs, and the curving up of the lateral edges of the lugs gives grest= ly increased surface contuct tor resisting brute ing strains on the broke flange. A. similar eficct may be secured by grouping the lug around e, convex projection so that the lug is curved convexly in two directions.

By the term melleeble supporting port as upplyiug to the port to which the bruise flange is secured, i do not restrict myself to the construction in which such port is an integral port of the body of the Wheel. Such supporting pert may be an adapter, or an annular web, or other part bolted, riveted, welded or otherwise permanently or detochably secured to the body of the wheel. This annular port may be connected as ebove described to the broke flange so that the brake drum comprising such broke flange and support may be sold as o. separate article of manufacture.

A greet advantage of my construction is the strengthening effect which I secure upon the Wheel structure. The broke flange acts as a, strengthening member especially against poet. The brake flange being of substantially nonmalleable metal prevents bending oi the cool-- leoble wheel.

What i claim is:-

l. A broke flange formed of on iron costing, with the non-brol ing surface formed along one edge with an annular beod having projections adopted. to engage ml inetol supporting end securing ports.

2. A broke flange for vehicle wheels, being formed of on iron costing, inclu' u substantielly peorlitic matrix, end. e substenti uniform distribution end. size of graphite onol substantially uniform grain size, and having the non-s broking surface formed along one edge 'vvitb an annular beed bowing projections to engage with molleoble metal supporting end securing ports.

3. A bruise drum comprising o. cast metal flange formed slang one edge with o, peripheral notched bead, and o supporting member ecljsceut suixl edge buying portions mechanically interlocked with the notches. I

i. A broke drum comprising a, cast iron flange iormeu along one edge with o, peripheral beau having spaced notches therein, and o, supporting piste adjacent said edge having projections engaging said. notches in interlocking relation.

till

ill 

